CNN and MS NOW Ignore Reality, Blame Republicans for DHS Shutdown

Nicholas Spinnato
March 17th, 2026 10:53 PM

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During Tuesday morning’s cable news morning shows on MS NOW and CNN, blame was placed on Republicans for the lasting DHS shutdown caused by Democrat protests of immigration enforcement and ICE funding. The hosts of CNN This Morning, CNN News Central, and, of course, MS NOW’s Morning Joe ignored the Democrats' impact on the shutdown, a growing media trend.

In a tease for the News Central segment, CNN This Morning host Audie Cornish teed up the story as a Republican attack on Democrats:

Okay, you guys, we want to talk a little bit more about the partial government shutdown affecting the Department of Homeland Security enters another week and as we mentioned earlier, very long lines at the airport as a result. So, Republicans want voters to blame Democrats. We're going to talk about how this is going to play out. 

 

 

An hour later in CNN programming, during the precursor to an interview with Republican Congressman Pete Sessions of Texas, Bolduan began to frame the segment as Democrats being the saviors who would end the shutdown just like they released the Epstein files:

And now Democrats, today, are pushing ahead with a new move to try to force a vote that could end the shutdown. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is now telling fellow Democrats he's launching a discharge petition tomorrow. It would fund most of DHS, including TSA, while not approving new funding for ICE and Customs and Border Patrol.

This tactic has worked for Democrats recently, a discharge petition, like in successfully forcing the vote to release the Epstein files.

 

 

Bolduan was tough in the interview with Session, with questions on if he would be “open to funding TSA, FEMA, CISA and then debating funding for ICE afterward?”

Her question ignored the reality that ICE was already funded. The shutdown right now was a tactic for reforms that has just ended up putting national security at risk.

Bolduan ended the DHS shutdown part of the interview with: “It sounds like we are nowhere near breaking the stalemate, is what I take from this.”

Next, on the premiere liberal morning talk show, Morning Joe, Katty Kay and Jonathan Lemire placed blame on Republicans, especially Senator Katie Britt of Alabama, for not agreeing with Senator Patty Murray’s (D-WA) bill that would still have not fully funded DHS.

Kay read, “Last week, Senate Republicans blocked five separate bills proposed by Democrats to fund TSA and other non-immigration agencies. One of the proposals, from Democratic Senator Patty Murray of Washington, was killed by a Republican senator, Katie Britt of Alabama.”

 

 

Kay and Lemire focused on Democratic Congressman Greg Casar’s (TX) confrontation at an airport in Texas with Senator John Cornyn (R-TX). The hosts made fun of Cornyn’s attempt to give the TSA workers Whataburger meals.

Kay connected the burgers to how the shutdown is actually working for Democrats:

Yeah, John. Burgers, paychecks, I think most TSA agents know which one they would rather have. 

This has been interesting politically because I think initially some Democrats were worried about the framing of this. But in the last few days, as those queues and those lines have got longer during spring break travel, I think they have seen something shift and they think, well, look, if we can single out funding for the TSA agents and separate that from funding for ICE, this could actually work politically in Democrats favor. What are you seeing?

 

 

Lemire also parroted the talking point of republicans being in control of the Senate, while ignoring the existence of the filibuster vote threshold:

But you're right. I think Democrats do feel like just, like the last funding fight, that they're on the right side of this. 

That the Republicans are in control. They have both houses of congress. They have the white house. They're taking most of the blame. One wonders, though, how much longer this can last.

The liberal cable networks refusal to blame Democrats for the shutdown is alike to the big three broadcast networks almost entirely ignoring the Democrat’s impact on the shutdown, as seen in a recent MRC Newsbusters study.

The transcript is below. Click "expand":

CNN This Morning

March 17, 2026

6:48:52 AM

AUDIE CORNISH: Okay, you guys, we want to talk a little bit more about the partial government shutdown affecting the Department of Homeland Security enters another week and as we mentioned earlier, very long lines at the airport as a result. So, Republicans want voters to blame Democrats. We're going to talk about how this is going to play out.

(...)

CNN News Central

March 17, 2026

7:48:02 AM Eastern

KATE BOLDUAN: The partial government shutdown of DHS has led to brutal and growing wait times at airports and led to hundreds of TSA agents now quitting. That shutdown now enters its second month. 

At the center of the political stalemate is the future, and funding of ICE. And as with every shutdown, as we have seen of recent, Democrats and Republicans are currently and still blaming each other for not coming to the table to bring an end to this. 

And now Democrats, today, are pushing ahead with a new move to try to force a vote that could end the shutdown. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is now telling fellow Democrats he's launching a discharge petition tomorrow. It would fund most of DHS, including TSA, while not approving new funding for ICE and Customs and Border Patrol. 

This tactic has worked for Democrats recently, a discharge petition, like in successfully forcing the vote to release the Epstein files. 

But this move this time, like others, would require Democrats to win over a number of Republicans to get this to the floor. Joining me right now is Republican Congressman Pete Sessions of Texas. Congressman thanks for coming in.

Texas has seen some crazy wait times at airports. In Austin, though I know not in your district, the security lines we've seen video reached outside the terminal. Facing that and the reality that TSA workers are quitting now, are you open to funding TSA, FEMA, CISA and then debating funding for ICE afterward?

REP. PETE SESSIONS (R-TX): I think we all recognize that there's a political difference here. Our friends that were Democrats years ago wanted to defund ICE. This is not a new issue. This is not a new issue because these same types of arrangements have happened for years. I am not open to that. We must understand that ICE has a role and a function.

And I think that the negotiation that took place several weeks ago about the changes that would be made should have been significant enough to get my fellow Democrats, my friends, back on with some bit of reliability.

They've also seen a change - a change at the top. Kristi Noem came and testified. It was a hearing that really ended up, I think, showing the American people some of the frailties of the policies. I think those will be corrected. I think that effective with Sen. Markwayne Mullin, who will become the director, that there will be a different viewpoint perhaps as is seen by the American people in their hometown.

But no, I believe we need ICE. We've got to have them. There has to be someone who will go and be on the front line to take criminals out of this country.

BOLDUAN: Why is buying more time to have that debate, at the same time getting people paid and back to work at America's airports, not an ok compromise though?

SESSIONS: Well, I voted yes. Generally speaking, you look at the people who vote yes and then question why people vote no. The people that vote no are those people that did not want the compromise.

I think that the fight should now take place over who is going to be the secretary, and that will be Markwayne Mullin. And he is a United States senator who knows each of these people. He will speak with clarity about the issues.

I spoke with Mr. Markwayne Mullin yesterday about my ideas about the job and performance that he will be doing. He was very open to hearing from me. I think I made sense to him.

I want to be able to explain to my constituents what ICE has as not just a policy but how they're going to play these things out, and I want to know where they're going to go and what order they're going to do them in.

So, I think that that's really the crux of the matter. This is simply a political battle that should be one that would be done professionally and in - and looking at the secretary. I think the president made the change. That should be the opening that would be necessary politically for the Democrats to seize upon. Ok, now let's renegotiate. And I think that's what needs to take place; not holding up federal workers.

BOLDUAN: It sounds like we are nowhere near breaking the stalemate, is what I take from this.

(...)

MS NOW’s Morning Joe

March 17, 2026

7:42:21 AM Eastern

KATTY KAY: Chicago Midway Airport, though, with a plane coming in to land. And more US airports are seeing extremely long security lines amid the partial government shutdown that's now in its fifth week. 

Last week, Senate Republicans blocked five separate bills proposed by Democrats to fund TSA and other non-immigration agencies. One of the proposals, from Democratic Senator Patty Murray of Washington, was killed by a Republican senator, Katie Britt of Alabama.

It comes as the New York Times reports, a growing number of TSA employees have picked up second jobs, sometimes calling out sick just to do so, after missing their first full paycheck. That was last Friday. So far, more than 300 officers have quit. 

This was the scene at the airport in Fort Lauderdale yesterday. Amazing lines. Other big hubs are also reporting painfully long queues like Houston, Atlanta, Newark, Laguardia in New York. 

Meanwhile, a tense back and forth erupted yesterday outside the airport in Austin between two Texas lawmakers, Democratic Congressman Greg Casar and Republican Senator John Cornyn got into it after Cornyn arrived to deliver burgers to TSA agents working without pay due to that partial government shutdown. Cornyn has blamed Democrats for blocking the DHS funding bill. 

Casar, a Democrat who represents Austin, arrived at the airport first and was talking to reporters when Cornyn showed up. Take a watch.

(...)

7:44:50 AM

KAY: Yeah, John. Burgers, paychecks, I think most TSA agents know which one they would rather have. 

This has been interesting politically because I think initially some Democrats were worried about the framing of this. But in the last few days, as those queues and those lines have got longer during spring break travel, I think they have seen something shift and they think, well, look, if we can single out funding for the TSA agents and separate that from funding for ICE, this could actually work politically in Democrats favor. What are you seeing?

JONATHAM LEMIRE: Yeah. First of all, Cornyn in the political fight for his life right now -

KAY: Yes. 

LEMIRE: - Not surprised. He probably welcomes some sort of confrontation. But you're right. I think Democrats do feel like just, like the last funding fight, that they're on the right side of this.

That the Republicans are in control. They have both houses of congress. They have the white house. They're taking most of the blame. One wonders, though, how much longer this can last. 

We were talking -  a theme today has been about political pain, right? These lines at airports are gigantic and getting worse. And there's - at a certain point, the frustration from the public may push some sort of action. We will, of course, stay on it.

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